Last Friday evening, AVA’s main gallery space quickly filled up with people of all ages. Some arrived by the yellow school bus-full. All came to celebrate the artists whose work was selected for the 10th Annual Best of the Upper Valley High School Exhibition.

Featuring 140 works of art from 139 artists representing 16 different high schools in the Upper Valley, the exhibition is an impressive showcase of the breadth and depth of creative young talent in our region.

The gallery on Friday was tinged with anticipation as the artists, their families, and friends awaited the awards ceremony, announcing the winners and honorable mentions in each of 14 categories, from analog photography and painting to woodworking and wearable art.

Patrick Dunfey, Head of Exhibitions Design and Planning at the Hood Museum of Art, juried this year’s exhibition. In his remarks, reflecting on how much fun he had spending time with “so much great work,” Dunfey encouraged all the artists, winners or not, to “take a moment to think of the accomplishment of being part of this show.”

And because art is an act of sharing and community, Dunfey urged everyone, “Tonight if you see work you really like, find the artist and introduce yourself and share that with them.”

AVA congratulates this year’s High School Exhibition winners in each category:

Lebanon, NH (August 25, 2017) AVA Gallery and Art Center (AVA) announced today that Mila Pinigin has been selected as Exhibition Manager. Ms. Pinigin will officially begin transitioning into the position part-time starting in midSeptember and will assume full-time responsibilities on November 1, 2017.

“We are elated to have Mila joining us at AVA,” said Mayor. “With her strong background in the arts and exhibitions, combined with her knowledge of the Upper Valley arts scene, we could not have been more fortunate. AVA has such an exciting future ahead, with sculptural programming rolling out in the Bente Building this fall, and new exhibition space in our members’ gallery, the strength of our team is as important as ever. Mila brings the skills to connect AVA with the community through exhibitions that use inventive applications of education, outreach and business associations.”